Because of Her
by HeartofInk22500
Summary: Fiyero, desperate to get away from his destiny as the King of the Vinkus, gets the job as Captain of the Guard with the Gale Force. Things go well until he meets the witch... well, more of until he falls in love with the witch. Total Fiyeraba story. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

"A wicked…. witch?" he mused.

"No, _the _wicked witch! Haven't you heard?"

"No, not really," Fiyero murmured, staring at the Captain of the Guard. Well, the former Captain of the Guard. After searching for a job, anything to get him out of having to be King of the Vinkus, his girlfriend found a job for him with the Gale Force. And with Glinda pulling a few strings, he was immediately assigned to replace the Captain, who after being injured in a chase with the Wicked Witch of the West was due to retire for his own safety. At least, that's what he claimed.

"Most of the news in Vinkus is a rumor," the pale boy added, trying to recall the mention of a witch, "It's hard to tell whether the things you hear are true or not, so most people brush it off as false right off the bat."

The Captain of the Guard scoffed, "Well, she's horrid. She's been terrorizing all of Oz for almost a year now, just the sight of her skin is enough to give the strongest man chills." Fiyero tilted his head, "Her… skin?"

The man just gave Fiyero a cold stare, questioning the boy's intelligence for a second before responding with, "Yes, her _green_ skin. It's atrocious, unnatural, she's hideous."

The Vinkun prince gave a twisted expression, somewhat mixing fear, disdain, and… curiosity. He couldn't deny the sound of someone having green skin wasn't at least interesting, if not a great mystery. Still, images of a pasty green witch flashed through his mind, as he shuddered. The Captain just chuckled, "Well, she's your problem now, kid. See to it she's brought to justice." Fiyero nodded, as the older male gave him a firm handshake, before hanging up his jacket and walking out the door.

Fiyero waited a few seconds to make sure he wasn't in earshot, and then let out a huge huff of frustration. "A green witch? Terrorizing all of Oz? Why couldn't Glinda _warn _me about that first?" He thought back to the wicked witch for a second, trying to picture someone with green skin. Admittedly, it sounded quite cool.

"FiFi?"

He winced as his pet name was called out by the high-pitched blonde, their blue eyes meeting. "Yes, Glinda?"

She beamed, "Is the job nice?"

"Dear, I've hardly even been Captain of the Guard for ten minutes," Fiyero chuckled, "but so far, yes, it's lovely." Glinda smiled a bit softer now, "I was hoping you would." He returned the smile for a brief moment, before falling back onto the thought of the green witch. When Glinda caught his distracted expression that she blinked, "Fiyero, is everything alright?"

"A green skinned witch," he mumbled, "Isn't that strange?"

The blonde scoffed rather coldly, "I'll say. She's the most fearifying person I've ever seen. Really ugly, too."

Fiyero refrained from corrected her broken grammar, knowing it wouldn't do a thing. "Well, if she's that bad, I'll gather a search for her tomorrow. Any ideas of where she might be?"

"Any heavily wooded area," Glinda stated, remembering how many times the guards got lost for hours on end because she got away in the middle of a forest. "Thanks," he smiled, kissing his girlfriend's hand. She let out a bubbly giggle, before kissing his cheek, "No problem FiFi!"

He winced again, watching her walk out of the office. He waited a few seconds before turning his chair to look at the map of Oz.

"The woods, eh?" he pondered. After searching for the areas with countless trees, he stopped upon a familiar sight.

"The Gillikin Forest," he smirked, "It's the most tangled up woods I've seen."

His smirk fell in an instant, remember how many times _he_ got lost in those tangled up woods.

Why, Glinda, why this job?


	2. Chapter 2

**_First off, wanna give a shout-out to _****_Elphaba'sGirl _****_and _****_Ultimate Queen Of Cliffies_****_ for the amazing reviews. I didn't think anyone would actually look at my story, let alone like it only from the first chapter so far, so please know that I appreciate it SO much. Thanks to the both of you. X3_**

The forest seemed unforgiving that day.

Fiyero had gathered the Gale Fore outside of the woods, and worked out a plan—some men would be on simple lookout, and notify if they saw her, and just keep walking. Some men would be waiting in ambush, and the rest would merely try chasing her. It seemed like a good idea at the time to most of them, and they entered the woods determined to catch the Wicked Witch of the West once and for all. It only went disastrous from there. One guard got injured after falling down a hill, getting cut and bruised by the roots and sticks that lines the slope, and had to have another guard escort the wounded man home. Fiyero wanted to note that his injures looked very minor, although he reasoned that it still might have been good to take him out of the search party.

Another group had made a successful ambush… on a pack of bears, and resulted in some various scratches and more of the members leaving.

There was also the men that had to head home because it was getting late, and their families needed them, or the men that just wanted to head back because they figured that after four hours of searching the woods with not even a sign of her presence, she wasn't there. Fiyero granted them permission to leave, figuring they must have had good reasons. But as the minutes dragged into hours, the Captain of the Guard assumed that he was just about the only one left looking.

Up until he figured out he was just lost.

Fiyero was furious with himself, he had memorized every turn he took, repeating his paths in his heads, counting every step he took. Yet everything started looking the same, and soon the blue-eyed male found it impossible to keep track, and when he tried to turn back, he had forgotten exactly how he got in.

For Oz's sake, where was the luck today?

He wasn't even sure how long he had wandered— he only knew that the sun was starting to set. Maybe if he went in the opposite direction of the sun, he'd wind up east in Munchkinland. Then again, that was miles away from the Emerald City, and it was would take him a day or two in order to get back. "It's better than getting stuck here all night," he reasoned.

It took him another hour of walking towards the east before his legs got sore, and he stopped under a tall tree to sit for a moment. He wondered, was Glinda freaking out? Oh Oz, if he wasn't back before dark she would surely tear him up. Stab him with her heels, maybe. Or poke his eye out with mascara. Or maybe even—

He heard a rustle from up above him, in the greenery of the treetop, as he looked up, trying to spot what it was. Maybe just a squirrel? Or a bird, he thought.

But when a slight feminine shriek let loose as the tree branch cracked, sending a figure falling to the ground, Fiyero's eyes widened in concern.

"Are you okay, miss?"

The girl let out a nervous chuckle, turning her head away, her inky black hair cascading like a curtain over her face. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you." She got up to leave, but Fiyero grabbed her arm. She had flinched as he asked, "Are you injured?"

"No."

She tried to pull away.

His eyes flickered with confusion, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course. Sorry, but I must be on my way."

"Where to?"

"Um…. to visit my sister in Munchkinland?" Her voice faltered slightly, causing Fiyero to raise a brow. "Well, I'm headed there too. Do you mind if I accompany you?"

"Actually, yes, I do mind."

"Why?"

"You ask a lot of questions," she sneered, tilting her head to hide her face. Fiyero began to get suspicious, as he turned her to face him, "Okay, what are you—,"

He paused for a moment, staring at the girl. She had long hair, very long, a few inches past her hips in fact. Her eyes were a chocolate brown, big and bright, with a small gleam in them. Long lashes, thin lips, and the most exotic…

… green skin.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Giving a big thank you to Muffinsweep11, Elphaba'sGirl, RavenCurls, and Ultimate Queen of Cliffies for the reviews, they mean a lot every time. X3_**

Fiyero's eyes widened a bit, staring at the emerald skinned woman in front of him. For a moment, he was still, not daring to move. The female could sense his shock, or disgust for that matter as she simply scoffed, "The green? You get used to it."

"You're the wicked witch?"

She tried to tug away, but the Captain of the Guard proved stronger as he kept her in place, still holding her arm.

"The one and only. Why? Afraid I'll turn you into a toad?" she sneered.

"You're so…," Fiyero paused to find the right word, "… young."

The girl blinked, somewhat surprised with his answer. She'd been called many things—horrid, disgusting, an abomination, hideous, even an artichoke. But no one ever seemed to care about her age.

"So?"

"So, you can't be older than what, twenty?"

She scoffed "Try nineteen." Fiyero just sighed, "Close enough."

It was her turn to study him though, as her eyes were immediately fixed on the uniform he wore."So, you're with the Gale Force?" she asked warily. The comment had snapped him back to the fact that he was _supposed_ to be capturing her.

"Uh, yeah, I am," he said, eyes narrowing as he gripped her arm tighter. She winced as he said, "And you're not going anywhere." She rolled her eyes, "Is that the best you've got? Really, I've escaped in harder circumstances. What makes you think I won't escape this time?"

"Because _I'm_ the one who's captured you."

"Arrogant much?"

"Like you aren't?" he scoffed, "Thinking you can get away without any trouble?" The emerald girl just cackled, "If it helps you sleep at night to think that I won't get free, then fine. But don't come crying if I'm not here when you turn your back, dear."

Fiyero opened his mouth to retaliate, but he decided against it. He wasn't one to be at a loss for words, especially not when it came to a snarky comment, but he reasoned it would be best to get her back to the Wizard as soon as possible, especially since the sky was getting darker as each minute drew by.

"Just come on."

He dragged her by her arm, watching her follow as a steady pace, sometimes trying to wrench herself away, but never succeeding. He gave off a smug grin after a while—if that was all she had, there's no way she'd escape.

Finally the sky was lined with a stars and a full moon, and Fiyero decided it was getting too dark to travel. It wouldn't be any use to try and get out of the forest if he couldn't see where he was going. He looked at the witch, and obviously, she was all for the idea of stopping as she let out a soft yawn, before giving him her thousandth glare so far.

Fiyero chuckled, "We'll stop for the night, but don't try anything funny." The girl rolled her eyes, but she didn't complain. She was tired, and at least she didn't have to worry about being captured in her sleep—it didn't exactly matter at this point.

Fiyero pulled out the rope he had looped around his belt, just in case he _actually_ managed to catch her, and proceeded to tie her wrists behind her back. She struggled a bit, but even she knew by now Fiyero was the stronger one. He had finished, and tied the opposite end of the rope around his right wrist, making sure that if she got up to run away, he'd wake up.

The witch was the first to sit—needing some slight help from the Captain to prevent from falling over—but Fiyero soon joined next to her. They sat in silence for a while, somewhat of awkward tension growing. All they heard were crickets, and an occasional owl, before Fiyero finally spoke up with "So, since we'll be stuck with each other for a while, I'm Fiyero. What's your name, anyway?"

"The Wicked Witch of the West," she spat.

"No, I mean your _actual_ name," Fiyero said, ignoring the bitterness in her voice.

"No one really knows or cares," she shrugged, "even if you knew, no one would know who you're talking about."

"And if I specify?"

"You'll be considered a traitor. Believe me, the Wizard wouldn't want anyone siding with the wicked witch." Her tone was somewhat cold again, and Fiyero just sighed. "Okay, so, I won't specify, but I at least want to know what I can call _you_."

"The Wicked Witch Of—,"

"Forget it!" Fiyero snapped, turning away. He wouldn't normally be angry that easily, but he was trying to be nice. Was it so hard for her to give a simple answer? All he wanted to know was her name, and she was _that_ stubborn. For Oz's sake, what was so wrong with it?

"… Elphaba."

"What?"

"My name is Elphaba. Elphaba Thropp."

Fiyero sighed, but gave off a small smile regardless. "Elphaba?" he paused a moment to think, "… That's a nice name."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to Elphaba'sGirl, RavenCurls, and Ultimate Queen Of Cliffies for the reviews, you guys are awesome, y'know that?**

It didn't take long for daylight to come, causing Fiyero to wake up, sore, and slightly stiff from the painfully firm ground of the forest. He blinked a few times to adjust to the light, before he sat up, and immediately searched for Elphaba. She was already awake, her knees scrunched up to her chest with her back leaning against the tree, staring out into the forest.

"You're such a restless sleeper," she noted.

"So?" Fiyero asked, "The ground isn't exactly comfortable."

The green girl chuckled, "My apologies you didn't get your beauty sleep, Captain."

"Whatever," he mumbled, "How'd you sleep?"

"Why do you care?"

Fiyero felt a small twinge of annoyance at her attitude. Why was it such a crime to be nice with her? "Look, Elphaba, we're going to be stuck with each other for a while, so I'm just trying to be civil. I get that you're wicked, but please, just at least accept that I just want to be nice, okay? Wouldn't you enjoy someone being kind to you for a change?"

"Listen… Fiyero, was it? I'm not exactly the type of person someone would be nice to," she stated, giving him a cold glare, "I'm used to hatred, not kindness. Okay. So do us both a favor and just be a jerk, it's more… normal that way."

The Captain of the Guard's face softened a bit, "But… why?" She looked away for a moment, "I'm not like others, so it's okay not to treat me like others. I'm… wicked."

"How'd you become wicked, anyway?"

She cackled a little, "You don't know? Because I defied his supreme Ozness of course!" Her voice dripped with sarcasm, which Fiyero didn't fail to notice. He wanted to push the subject, to get a straight-forward answer, but he knew he wouldn't get anywhere with it anyway.

"So, ready to go?"

"If I have to be," she scoffed. The blue-eyed boy sighed, helping her to her feet, before untying the rope from his wrist and grabbing the end, Elphaba's arms still restrained behind her back.

They set off again, Elphaba once again making attempts to get free, although slightly more subtle this time. Still, from the looks of it, she didn't succeed.

"Why are you still struggling? That knot isn't going to come loose," Fiyero stated, making a silent plea that it wouldn't _actually_ come loose.

"How do you know that?" she grinned.

"Because, believe me, if it could I'm sure you would have slipped it last night."

"And if I didn't try last night?"

Fiyero chuckled, "Then you obviously don't want to get away if you didn't try." Elphaba was silent for a moment, as the Captain assumed she was just trying to think up something in retaliation.

"What, at a loss for words?"

"No, just refusing to waste my breath talking with you," she sneered. He rolled his eyes, continuing to walk, until he noticed that the girl had stopped. "What?"

"Something's wrong."

Fiyero tilted his head, "How do you know?

"I don't know, I just do," she replied, turning her head away nervously.

"Elphaba, seriously—,"

"I'm not kidding!" she argued, looking around, "Something just feels… off." Fiyero looked around with her, although he couldn't see any danger. "I don't think that—,"

Elphaba's face went pale as she screeched, "Fiyero, look out!"

On instinct, the boy whipped around, his hands flying forward in an attempt to block what was coming at him. The rope dropped from his grip for a moment as Fiyero shut his eyes, waiting for an impact.

… Nothing. He turned his head to see Elphaba running off, as Fiyero blushed in embarrassment, chasing after her. "Get back here!" he hollered, frustration filling up.

Elphaba just snickered, still running. Fiyero was fast, but she had no doubt soon he'd get lost, as every sharp turn she made assured her of that. She ignored the ropes binding her arms behind her back, focusing more on escaping. "Stop at once!" she heard him scream.

She let out a laugh, "Not a chance in—,"


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, another chapter in one day? Only because I left off with an admittedly crappy cliffhanger, a rushed one at that. So enjoy a nice, long chapter I actually took my time on. |D**

**And thanks to Ultimate Queen of Cliffies (and anyone else who might leave a review since I didn't give much time in between) for the review~ It always means so much. X3**

He wasn't sure exactly what happened. First he was chasing her, telling her to stop. She screamed back, and the next thing he knew, she was skidded to a halt. He saw his chance, and went for it, lunging at her. She tried to tell him not to, but he was already in motion. He stumbled into her, sending both of them falling down, and the next thing he remembered was a loud splash, as well as the feeling of being thoroughly soaked.

And a loud, feminine screech.

Fiyero climbed out of the river, coughing up the water he had swallowed, his hands clenched into the dirt. He took deep breaths, slightly shocked as he didn't even know the river was there, or he wasn't paying attention. If he was watching his surroundings instead of Elphaba, he wouldn't have—wait, Elphaba!

"Elphaba?" he croaked out in fear, his eyes darting around. She wasn't there, didn't she climb out? He was struck with a wave of panic as he remembered her arms bound behind her back, and with a deep breath, he dove back in to find her.

The dirty water stung his eyes, but he refused to shut them, still looking for a sign of her. He ran out of breath, scrambling to the surface for a few seconds before submerging again, looking for the drowning witch. Then he saw it, a limp, emerald body floating underwater, and the next thing he remembered, he was grabbing her, and swimming up to the top of the river.

Fiyero inhaled sharply, his hair sticking to his face, his eyes heart still pounding from the adrenalin. He had pushed Elphaba out of the water, slowly lifting himself out as well. He starting coughing again, looking over at the girl, who was sprawled motionless on the ground. Her chest didn't heave like it should have, and her eyes were shut ever so lightly. His blood ran cold for a moment, "Elphaba, are you… okay?"

The lack of reply sent his spiraling into fear, as he did the only thing he could think of. He leaned over her, pressing his hands on her chest, pushing down in rhythm with his heartbeat pounding in his ears. "Elphaba, c'mon, breathe!"

He was frantic, no, desperate, as he suddenly placed his lips onto hers in addition with his previous actions, trying to blow a course of air through her. He continued a few more times, until finally, she began to flutter her eyes open. In confusion of the situation, and a slight foggy daze, she pressed her lips back against his, not fully aware of what she was even doing. Fiyero's eyes widened, feeling the green girl kiss him, her soft lips pressing against his, but his eyes closed for a moment, trying to process the surge of energy that jolted through him from this. Too quickly, it seemed, she pulled away, blushing bright red and coughing up the water she inhaled.

Fiyero wasn't any less embarrassed, kicking himself for not pulling away as soon as he realized what had happened. He had a girlfriend, he had Glinda. She was the Wicked Witch of the West, a fugitive. But… whatever he felt course through him, he didn't know why, something about it was so…

"Fiyero…?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, looking down at the panting green girl, her eyes somewhat hazy. "Yes?" "Th-thank you…" He smiled down at her, brushing her hair out of her face, "What, you thought I would have let you drown?"

She was silent for a moment, looking away, as Fiyero's expression hardened, "You did, didn't you?" She just softly nodded, staring at him, "Anyone else would have."

"I'm not anyone else, Elphaba," Fiyero sighed, "Look, you may be the wicked witch, but… you… you seem so… anyway, uh, I wouldn't let anyone drown, no matter who they are." He grinned softly, looking away. Elphaba just sighed, sitting up, as Fiyero inspected her wrists. "Hold still," he said, working at the knot.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, trying to look over her shoulder. Finally, she felt the bindings let loose, her arms finally free. "You were getting some pretty bad rope burns," Fiyero explained, "probably from wearing it so long… and the struggling underwater probably didn't help." She stretched her arms out, now able to get the stiff feeling out, wincing as her wrists flexed. Fiyero just sighed, looking at the female before him. He couldn't help but stare at her, admittedly she was somewhat attractive, in her own strange way. Not that he would go for it, but dang, if he got that same spark when he kissed Glinda, he would…

He pushed that thought out of his head, refusing to think about it anymore, no matter how special it felt. It was just the adrenalin, he reasoned, it had to be.

"Elphaba?"

She peered over at him, her head somewhat tilted, "Yes?"

"I just saved your life, right?"

She snickered, "What do you think?"

"That means you owe me one," he teased, giving her a smug grin. Elphaba rolled her eyes at this, "No way do I owe _you_ anything."

"But I saved you from drowning."

"I wouldn't have been drowning if it wasn't for you tackling me," she replied.

Fiyero argued with, "I wouldn't have tackled you if you didn't run."

"I wouldn't have run if you didn't capture me."

"I wouldn't have captured if… you know what, screw it. I'm out of ideas, but you still owe me for saving you," Fiyero chuckled. Elphaba just rolled her eyes, snickering softly, "Depends, what do you want from me?"'

"All I want from you," he started, "is to know _about_ you."

She blinked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, "How so?"

"How in Oz's name did you become the Wicked Witch of the West?"


End file.
